Nothing Is Ever Simple
by Eluveitie's Slania
Summary: Three years after TAC, Holly's moved on from her adventures with Mud Men. Well, almost... until her first easy assignment as a Major reunites her with Arty; then things get a lot more complicated. T for minor language and some themes.
1. Sounded Easy Enough

Hey guys! Thanks for bothering to take any notice of my inane drabble :)

Full summary, if you're interested:  
Three years after the Atlantis Complex, Holly has moved on with life. She's been promoted, is seeing Trouble Kelp, and has completely got over Artemis Fowl. Shame that things are changing, and she just can't get rid of her past...

Disclaimer: I woke up this morning, remembered that Artemis Fowl did not belong to me, and cried.

So without further ado, here is the first chapter of three for "Nothing is Ever Simple"! I hope you like it - Slania x

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Nothing Is Ever Simple

Chapter One: Sounded Easy Enough

As she weaved her way through the crowds in LEP headquarters, Holly Short sighed. She thought that she'd get used to the staring, the pointing – after all, she'd already got it, after saving the planet's sorry ass several times over.

But that had been amplified thousandfold, after…_just think it already!_ After… she'd grown over a foot in less than three years.

Holly didn't understand it herself; it had been a full moon when the growing pains had started. By the time the lethargy, hurt and odd mood swings had ceased, two years later, she was 4'6" – almost 40cm, and 1'3" taller than what she'd been for the last thirty or so years.

The medics brushed it off as an effect of the time and dimension travel she'd been through, and life went on. Except that Holly had to deal with being some kind of Mud Maid hybrid.

_Just my luck, _she thought savagely. At least she'd see N°1 after this meeting with the commander. She hadn't needed the Ritual for years thanks to that guy – every time she saw him, he'd give her a boost.

Holly's lips curved into a smile at the thought of her demon friend as she halted outside Trouble Kelp's door. Knocking sharply and receiving the command to enter, she did so. Trouble's feet were on his desk, and Holly felt a stab of irritation as he grinned at her. "Holly! Still on for Saturday at the Taillte drive in?"

"Of course, Trouble."

His date assured, Trouble dropped his boyfriend act. "Major. You'll be glad to hear this; we're sending you into the field."

"Sir –" _Her first assignment as a Major! _Holly didn't bother to conceal her grin.

"Make your way to Ops; I'll brief you fully from there."

Holly's excitement was at its peak as she sat in the small chair, fists clenched. She sprang up when Trouble strode majestically into the room, followed by her best friend, Foaly. Although she longed to gloat, this wasn't the time for small talk.

She stood until Kelp turned from the v-board to her. "Sit, Major Short." _Oh, the irony_, Holly thought bitterly. At least she could still fit in most of the fairly generous Haven buildings.

Trouble continued with the brief and she pushed the _height thing_ out of her mind: "As we all know, while we, the People, watch the humans, we protect ourselves from the humans, we cannot infiltrate the humans. And so we depend on Foaly's technology to keep us all safe.

"But without someone up there, we are taking a constant risk…" Holly saw with blinding clarity where this was going; bracing herself for his final words, Holly met Trouble's eyes. "…So that's why we're sending you. You're tall enough to move without much suspicion, your ears aren't so prominent or pointed anymore and are hidden by your hair-" Holly felt them, alarmed. Trouble was right; they weren't so long or pointed as they were. In fact, they could almost pass as human.

"So I'm to be a spy topside?" _Think about it later, Holly. _Worrying wouldn't do any good.

"Not permanently; your assignment today is an easy one." _Oh, gods…_

Kelp was scowling and avoiding Holly's eyes as he continued, "Visit Fowl." She heard Foaly's snicker from the corner, and ignored it with dignity worthy of the great Artemis Fowl. "We haven't checked on him for quite some time, and Foaly tells me that he's received no contact from you, Short."

"That's true, sir."

"So you will take a shuttle this afternoon, and visit him. An old friend. Make sure he's still straight and arrow. Then you will return this evening and present the footage from your camera, and a full report."

"Sir, don't you trust –"

"D'Arvit, Short, of course I don't! In fact, if I had my say, I'd have him and his little cronies mind-wiped today! But it's not just up to me, so we'll make the best of it."

"Equipment, sir?" Holly hid her anger under a well practised professional appearance.

"That's what Foaly's here for. I expect to see you after your return tonight." And on that note, Kelp strode back out of the booth, leaving Holly alone with the all too gleeful centaur.

"Don't say a word, Foaly."

"Do you think Artemis has regained his…boorishness, Major?" Seeing the murder in Holly's mismatched eyes, Foaly dropped the subject. "Ok, so no more, um, moments passionnés then? Right – "

"Give me the guns."

Foaly brightened as he trotted over to his desks, "This is all you're allowed today, Holly. Maybe I should be relieved." He handed her two odd cylindrical black objects.

"Oh, you – Spike bracers? Really? To backhand my preppy enemies when I go to a Gorgoroth concert?"

Foaly harrumphed noisily. "Am I really the only luminary in Haven? Put them on."

Holly did so, feeling a little nonplussed. She didn't notice the slight pop of the fake leather adhering to her skin to coordinate with her LEP jumpsuit.

"Now flick out your wrists and think of guns."

Watching Foaly carefully just to make sure he didn't start to eat his own hooves or anything, Holly did so – and was rewarded by the centimetre long spikes rearranging themselves to form a tiny Neutrino on each wrist. She stared at the perfect firearms stuck to the inside of her arms.

"Where is my applause? Do you have any idea how difficult it is to engineer nanoparticles like that? To then allow them to interpret and respond to brain signals after being linked to your state of the art uniform? Then form a working gun? No. Of course not; I remain unappreciated, a lone beacon of scientific –"

"All right! Give me a chance, ok? How do you fire them?"

Foaly all but swelled with pride as he explained, "Voice or movement activated. State your objective as you do with a helmet gun (they're synced, remember) or, in a squeeze, clench your fist. Less precise, but all I could come up with, under the circumstances." He scowled at the middle distance, as though blaming it for his dreadful working conditions.

"What, like this?" inquired Holly innocently. Foaly leaped in the air – a difficult feat with four legs.

"Is that burning? Caballine's going to kill us, Short!" Foaly lamented his bald patch on his rump, as Holly preened.

She was in a considerably better mood as she boarded the Recon shuttle. _Hey, a free trip to the surface; just to see the Mud Boy? Sounds easy enough…_

Holly wasn't wasting a single breath of surface air as she landed on Fowl Manor's neatly kept driveway, her silent Hummingbird new model wings sliding into her suit back. She couldn't help but look with distaste at the thick black bracers on her wrists; surely disguise was a little obsolete when she was visiting Fowl?

Holly unshielded; she quickly found the small library window on the ground floor that had been almost a guaranteed point of entry for friendly fairies. It was open; although no fairy had visited Artemis for three years, since the Turnball affair.

Holly didn't know how she felt about that.

The library was empty. _Well it's not like he's going to be waiting for you, you spastic ._Maybe she should have called ahead? However, she was still debating whether to search the manor when a familiar figure strolled between the bookshelves.

"Butler!" Holly smiled, relieved. _If Butler's here, Artemis won't be far._

"I thought it was you on the cameras," Butler's grin faltered when he saw Holly, "you've grown."

Holly's relief was short-lived. "I'd noticed."

"Oh." Butler had sensed Holly's curtness. "Artemis will be down soon." He handed her a bottle and glass of cold spring water from the mini fridge as he continued, "He's just finishing his workout."

Holly almost sprayed the bodyguard with her drink as she absorbed the seemingly innocuous phrase. "Artemis' _workout?_"

Butler smiled as he explained: "After Artemis came back from Haven, recovered from Atlantis, he decided that life would be easier for several people, including himself, if he grew to an 'acceptable level of physical competence'. So I've been helping him out with that almost every day."

Holly was about to ask another question – something along the lines of 'is there video footage of his first attempt' – when Artemis himself hurried in.

Her first thought was _this isn't the Mud Boy_; Artemis was now eighteen years old, and he was almost completely over the fact that this was divisible by three and not five.

But was Artemis wearing _tracksuit bottoms_? And a _football shirt_?

"I still do not see why I am wearing this ridiculous shirt, Butler. My name is not _A. Cole, _and I certainly do not reside in Chelsea – Holly?" Although Artemis was as pale as ever, his oil-black hair was damp from sweat and flopped into his eyes; they were the mirror image of Holly's own. He had not grown much in three years; he was still shorter than average. He quickly pushed his hair back as Holly continued to examine him.

She tried not to look appreciative as she noticed three years of Butler's tutelage (or no doubt torture to the teenager) had done its work. Although Artemis was still slim and slightly underweight, he was no longer the skinny, washed out youth she had last seen three years ago. He looked more…wiry. Holly suddenly realised she was staring at Artemis' now deeper chest, and blushed. She stood quickly. "Artemis. Long time no see."

"Please, allow me to change; I'm in no state to entertain guests." Artemis walked, slightly faster than necessary, out of the room. Holly, staring at the spot that he'd vacated, didn't notice Butler's penetrating gaze, and soon his face settled into its normal smooth appearance in time for her question: "How's Juliet?"

"Oh, she's fine. She's taken a break from the wrestling, actually – she's got a place at the 2012 Olympics in London."

Holly searched for more conversation; the encounter with Artemis had for some reason left her feeling a little winded, wrong-footed: "And the twins? Mr and Mrs Fowl?"

"Skiing in the Alps. It's the twins' fist time. How are things in Haven, Captain?" Butler's keen eyes had noticed the acorn cluster on her emerald jumpsuit. "Had a promotion?"

She smiled, feeling more relaxed. "It's Major now, Butler. I'll forgive you, though."

"What a relief…"

Artemis' mind was a whirl of thoughts as he jogged to his suite. _Holly – here! _He hadn't seen the elf since he'd been hospitalised with the Complex; he clicked his fingers twenty times. In fact their last conversation had been about a certain gung-ho officer with an unusual name…_why did he feel irritated at the thought? _Ignoring this, he stripped and jumped into his en suite shower. He still felt an academic's satisfaction at the new appearance of his body from the experiment with Butler, even if it had been painful and humiliating at times. Still, he'd almost forgotten about Juliet's hysterics when he had attempted his Chil-Jang pattern for the first time.

Artemis' main irritation now was with his height. 5'7"! Shorter than average; 7 was the total of death – no, four – and three. 7 also was like anger in Chinese; another number that they hated. Added with 5, it was 12, a product of three and four. _It doesn't matter_, he thought confidently. _Holly is what matters…_

After waiting for about 15 minutes, Holly was relieved when Artemis returned – at least until she remembered that, well, this was _Artemis Fowl ._He smiled slightly as he sat opposite her, dressed now in a black Armani sweater and trousers.

Butler suddenly stood. "I'll be on the track if you need me. Nice to see you again, Holly." And with that he was gone, leaving her alone with Artemis.

Holly asked the first question that came into her head: "He's letting you out of his sight?"

Eyebrows arched, the young man replied, "Of course. You are with me, Major –" he inclined his head at the badge on her chest; Holly blushed, "And he has become a little more confident in my own unarmed combat skills after stringent training. Besides, we do have the most sophisticated security systems in Europe, you know."

This would have been an excellent reply, had the window behind Holly's head not smashed to admit four dangerous looking assailants.

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2 more chapters to the story; do you want to read it? What do you think? Please, just take 30 seconds to review :')

PS. Written in actual "British" English - just so I'm not confusing anyone.

PPS The Chil-Jang pattern is taekwondo, usually performed by red tags for red belt. If you want to know what it looks like, just search on Youtube, it'll be there.

Thanks to my brother, who was very enthusiastic about the spike bracers, and to Indica, whose new album inspired me to pick up my metaphorical pen again. I love you guys!

Slania


	2. Why Does Everything Always Go Tits Up?

I could gush about anything and everthing here, but I'm not. I think.

Disclaimer: See previous chapter. They were big, salty tears, guys.

Chapter Two of three, for "Nothing Is Ever Simple". I hope you like it! - Slania x

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Nothing Is Ever Simple

Chapter Two: Why Does Everything Always Go Tits Up?

Holly's battle training took over, and she leaped from her chair, rolling away from the broken glass and threats. She was sure that the introduction to _My Apocalypse _was playing somewhere. Unfortunately, while Holly was pushing Arch Enemy's dulcet tones out of her head, Artemis took the opportunity to sprint forward, fists raised in a fighting stance. "Artemis!" With surprising confidence, he blocked the first man's strike to his face and followed it with a vertical fist punch to the groin and a ridgehand to the throat. While he collapsed, Artemis turned – only to have one of the others backhand him across the cheek. He crumpled without a sound.

_D'Arvit. _Although Holly wanted to rush over to the young man and cradle his head in her hands, she knew that she had bigger problems. This was confirmed by one of the thugs advancing on her: "Be quiet, girl, or you'll get it worse than your boyfriend –" His last notion as Holly stood was _wow you're short_; then her fist found his temple and he thought no more.

_GUNS! _she thought, flicking her wrists; from then it was a more simple matter to take out the two last thugs, as well as Artemis' unlucky victim, who had just stood back up. He'd only just hit the floor – again – when Butler sprinted in. Barely out of breath, he tapped his watch, complete with Fowl security system alerts: "intruders have breached the perimeter – oh."

Ignoring Butler, Holly knelt beside Artemis. There was a slight bruise forming on his high cheekbone, but he was breathing fine and didn't seem to have any other injuries. After mastering the controls for putting away these _blasted _Neutrinos, Holly gazed at his face; familiar, yet not so familiar. Older, kinder and – at least in this state – more open, more trustworthy than it had been three years ago. A high, elegant brow half hidden by hair – the only part of Artemis' appearance that could be described as "messy". Dark eyebrows that weren't being raised in ridicule or sarcasm, atop eyes now hidden; eyes that, Holly knew, were a reflection of her own. A straight, strong nose, above his expressive mouth; his cheeks not as gaunt as they had once been.

In fact, this adult Artemis could almost be considered…attractive. Holly's lips began to form a smile of their own accord; until Butler's deep tones cut through her rapidly spiralling thoughts. "Is he alright?"

Holly snapped herself out of her odd trance to respond, "Yes; just knocked unconscious from a backhand. He got one of them though; look."

"Well, it seems I did teach him something!" And with that, Butler started lifting the comatose burglars. "I'll have to get in touch with the Garda; you'll be on your own while I sort this mess out."

Holly was barely listening as she laid a hand gently over Artemis' cheek; the pale skin was soft and warm, and she enjoyed its texture beneath her palm. Orange sparks lazily danced around the bruising, and Holly watched quietly as it faded before her eyes. She felt its recovery but even after, a few sparks were drawn from her body into his. Once it stopped completely, Artemis stirred: "But – urgh – Holly, I…five, ten…" she listened, fascinated, as Artemis slowly returned to the land of the not knocked out by Irish hooligans. He'd said her name…

His eyes flickered open; looking up, Artemis saw Holly, her slim hand resting on his cheek, a far away expression on her face. She looked otherworldly; otherworldly and beautiful. His flesh tingled where it touched her smooth skin. Artemis didn't want to disturb the scene. He was very happy where he was, thank you very much. After a few seconds, he gingerly laid his hand over hers. "Holly…I'm alright now."

She started and scrambled back about five feet, before remembering her manners and returning to help him up. As he took her hand and stood, Artemis realised that Holly was far taller than she should have been; taller than most fairies in fact. There must have been only a foot or so between them. "You're taller."

It was a statement, and Holly was thrown on how to answer. "Yes," she said eventually. "Was that taekwondo?" she blurted. How intelligent. _Shut up, Short, you retard…_

Artemis nodded once. He said no more on the subject; he, like Butler, sensed that she didn't want to talk about her height. "Well, I feel that I must offer you my apologies, Holly."

"Wha – sorry?" Holly was thinking about the way Artemis spoke her name.

"It is a terrible coincidence that the evening you choose to visit is the evening a gang of thieves attempt to raid the Manor."

Holly couldn't suppress her smile. "Arty, if I hadn't been here, you and the Manor would have been a hell of a lot worse off."

"True…"_She'd called him Arty…_ "And so I owe you my gratitude too." He smiled softly.

He was being unusually formal to her – even for him. Holly looked away and suddenly realised she was still holding his hand. She dropped it as though it had burned her; and barely saw the hurt and shock flash across her friend's face.

"Sit down, Holly." Feeling that she had little choice, Holly did so. The easy friendship they'd once had was gone – it had been slipping out of her grasp, Holly understood, since their kiss four – or was it ten? – years ago. Instead, she felt an energy, an expectation, almost crackling in the library's still, dry air. The incident with the thieves already seemed like an age ago.

Police Plaza, Haven

"Well, that was easy," Trouble Kelp murmured, peering over Foaly's head at the feed from Holly's helmet. She'd taken it off and put it on the corner table – and it had given a perfect view of the fight with the burglars that Kelp had set up. "None of them even noticed they were mesmerised."

"Fowl put up a fight, Trouble, don't you think?" Under his breath Foaly added, "Put Holly in the equation and the Mud Kid grows a spine."

"I'm impressed. And Holly tested your invention, centaur. All in all, it's been pretty damned good. Now he should be getting the guilt trip." The commander spoke with no small satisfaction.

Foaly hesitated. "Sir, I really don't think that this was the best way to –"

"D'Arvit, Foaly, you know as well as I do that it takes life and death to get Fowl to open up; even to Holly." Trouble's expression darkened; why did it have to be his girlfriend? "Besides, they're both fine, he'll talk soon if he's doing anything he shouldn't, Butler's out of the way, and you got to see your guns in action, dammit! Did you come up with a better idea?"

"No, sir," the centaur sighed. At least he could tease Holly later. _How's that for un moment __passionné__?_

Fowl Manor, Dublin

Artemis stood with his back to Holly, his hands resting on the glass covered windowsill behind Holly's previous seat. She shifted uncomfortably in Artemis' chair. "Yes, very unfortunate that we are attacked on the first time in three years you've bothered to visit."

She sensed danger in the smoothness of his voice…_Now's not the time to think how gorgeous he sounds like this, Short! _She imagined Julius Root's harsh tone cutting into her daydream; but allowed herself a moment to be relieved that she never had been in a situation to hear him say that. "Artemis, I –"

"Shove your best friend in a sanatorium, tell him about your perfect relationship with your perfect commander, bring him out as soon as he's past the screeching melodramas, and dump him in his old life and leave?" Still he didn't turn around.

Holly stood. "Artemis, I thought that you were past this."

"This what, Holly?"

"I don't know – childish jealousy!"

He let out a harsh laugh. "I, Artemis Fowl the Second, jealous of you being…taken…by Trouble Kelp, the LEP's greatest Cro-Magnon? Your life is your own, Holly, and I couldn't care if you got married to Mulch."

Holly stood in shock; she felt tears pricking her eyes.

"In fact, I think it is you that is the problem – you admit under duress that you have dated Kelp; you then promptly avoid me for three years. The man you kissed; the man who travelled through time and reality with you. In fact, you are only here because your lover has sent you to spy on me!"

Holly wished it was the paranoia speaking. She really did. Unfortunately, there was no avoiding the truth that Artemis was right. That was why she was here. Over the years she had avoided him, everything about him; his appearance, the sound of his voice, the fresh smell of his suit and cologne. Because she'd thought it was better that way. Why, she didn't know;_ wouldn't_ know.

She responded the only way she could. "How dare you. How dare you, Artemis Fowl. You may sit here with nothing to do but wallow in your, your narcissistic dreams, but I do have a life to lead!" She was close to shouting now, and she was walking towards him. "And it's a life that doesn't revolve around you! Because, believe it or not, I have better things to do than pander to the needs of spoiled children who grow up taking what they want –"

As she stepped right behind him, Artemis spun and caught her raised hand. _Wow; his reactions have improved, _Holly thought numbly. He was closer than he'd ever been now. _Stop fluttering, traitorous heart!_ Her height certainly made dealing with Artemis easier, she had to admit – now he could just lean down to kiss her –

Which was precisely what he did, faster than Holly could have imagined. Before she could think of a reaction, Artemis' lips were firmly pressed on hers. _D'Arvit d'Arvit d'Arvit d'Arvit – _Then Holly realised that she rather liked the feel of his soft mouth.

When she finally returned to her senses, Holly realised that she was sat on the windowsill, her arms around the standing Artemis' neck. His own slender, strong arms had circled her waist, and he was stood between her thighs. "You are right about that, Holly; I certainly do take what I want." His mouth still rested on hers, and she could feel his smile as he murmured the words; it sent a pleasant shiver around her body that she hadn't ever felt so strongly in her life. "Exactly what I want."

Then the battle, the battle that had raged within and between the volatile couple since that fateful first kiss, was lost. Holly couldn't fight anymore. She desperately reached for his lips, and the rest was half remembered touch and sensation and feeling. She barely noticed when Artemis picked her up by her thighs and carried her to his bedroom.

The last thing on her incoherent mind was her helmet, with its camera merrily recording and displaying the entire scene from its little corner of Artemis' library to the underground city of Haven.

Police Plaza, Haven

Stunned silence reigned in Foaly's Ops booth. The astonished (and now slightly scarred, he claimed) centaur risked a glance at his commander.

Trouble stood stock still, staring intently and without emotion at the plasma screen, showing the now empty library. Foaly heard the edge of the desk that the elf was gripping crack like a gunshot.

Glad that the glass surrounding his office was one-way and his aides weren't staring avidly at the scene that had just unfolded, Foaly muttered only one sentence: "Why does everything I do always go tits up?"

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One more chapter, folks! Please review, all constructive criticism is welcome, I promise.

Thanks for reviewing, if you have on chapter One. I don't know; I've typed this before any have been published. How's that for organised?

Feel free to look up the song if you want: _My Apocalypse, _by Arch Enemy. I thought its intro suited the attack :)

Thanks again to my bro, who became very immature near the end of this chapter. Sigh.

Slania.


	3. A Magnet for Trouble:Both Kinds

Last chapter! The end of three days' furious typing, exasperation, and projectiles hurled at the aforementioned demon brother.

Disclaimer: They're doing it on purpose. They know how much it hurts me to admit that I DON'T OWN ARTEMIS FOWL! Well, I hope they're happy.

Thanks for ploughing through my witterings and reading - Slania x

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Nothing Is Ever Simple

Chapter Three: A Magnet for Trouble – Both Kinds

Holly stirred in the early morning light. She felt so warm, comfortable…and remembered the pale, wiry arm around her naked waist. _Oh. That. _

The plan had been visit the Mud Boy, make sure he wasn't being naughty, and go home. At least until she had ignored the plan, ripped it up, set fire to the pieces and stamped on the ashes. And then thrown them into a nuclear reactor. _Kelp is going to kill me…_but Holly didn't care about Trouble. Instead she turned over and pressed herself closer to Artemis' surprisingly muscular chest. _Thank you, Butler. Now I'm not hugging a toast rack._

She glanced at his bed. Under the pillow there was a CD. How quaint.

"It's _Evocation I, _by Eluveitie. Well, Holly?" Artemis' voice was soft, and brought the sensations of the night back to her…suppressing a shiver, she looked up into his bright, alert eyes.

"What's with the CD?"

His face studied hers for a moment. "It helps me sleep, when I'm restless." _When I think of you._

"I didn't think that you would listen to –"

"I'm not who I was. Not so…snobbish. To return to my previous question; well, Holly?"

"Well, what?"

"Am I in trouble?" His tone was teasing. How could she be angry, even if she'd wanted to be?

"No…but this is going to complicate everything."

"Yes; I can't imagine Commander Kelp will be pleased."

"Right now, I couldn't care less about him." Holly wasn't completely surprised to find that she meant it. "It's just…who we are, what we do. How can we do this?"

"We'll work it out." Artemis kissed the top of her head. "Holly, last night, I noticed…your ears; they aren't so –"

Holly sighed; at least now she had someone to really talk to. "I know; my height as well. It's as though I've become half-human."

The concern on his face touched Holly deeply. "Do you still have your magic, and fairy gifts?"

"Yes; the medics think it's from constantly manipulating time and space with you." She smiled; it hid her own fears. "Your fault, Arty! But after all, we've swapped eyes; we might have done the same with our actual characteristics."

Artemis nodded and with his free hand, he pushed his own hair back from his ear. "Look, Holly." She gasped; it had tapered into a small point like hers. In conjunction with the rest of his face, she could see that his features were not so…human as they had been. In fact, she could see the shadow of an elf in his countenance. "From an early age, I predicted my height to be around 5'10". However my growth rate slowed after we rescued the demons, and it did so further after returning Jayjay, and I am now 3 inches shorter than my previous calculations supported." He shrugged. "The theory makes sense."

Holly yawned and sat up. Artemis followed. "Did I meet your expectations, Major? Was I acceptable?"

She looked at him, slightly confused. "The People frown on…this…before marriage."

He seemed surprised. "So you've never -? Well, that makes two of us."

Holly smiled; she couldn't help leaning up to kiss him.

As she pulled away, she saw the clock on his bedside table. "D'Arvit!"

"Holly?"

"I was meant to go back yesterday – I mean I knew I was late, but not that – oh, Frond!" she leapt out of bed, almost pulling Artemis with her, grabbed her clothing from the floor and with hasty, staccato movements, began to dress.

"Calm down, here…" his cool hands did compose her slightly as her lover, and best friend, helped her dress.

-o-

Police Plaza, Haven

"Well, at least we know the Mud Man didn't kill her," growled Trouble as he watched Holly's vitals appear back on screen, coordinated with her jumpsuit. "I'll do that myself…"

Apart from a slightly accelerated heart and breathing rate, the Major seemed fine. Foaly breathed a small sigh of relief, tempered by his exasperation at having to stay in the Ops booth all night with his homicidal commander. "She'll never live this one down – oh! Here she comes now!"

-o-

Fowl Manor, Dublin

The library door slammed open as Holly sprinted through the shelves, closely followed by Artemis whose bathrobe flapped comically round his ankles. But Holly could find little humour in the situation. Locating her helmet in the corner where she'd left it, the elf jammed it hastily on her head – and winced:

"SHORT! Get to the fairy fort NOW. Bring the Mud Man with you; he's getting a trip to the holding cells!" The communicator cut out abruptly as Trouble slammed it onto his desk.

_Great, he's probably blown the comms in the helmet_ – and Holly's now had to be custom made. "Did you get that, Arty?" The Mud Man in question nodded tersely, and without a word he quickly returned to his room to change.

Holly walked quickly into the Manor's imposing entrance hall. She found her path blocked by a certain bodyguard; before she could even attempt to think of a cover story, Butler spoke: "I know exactly what went on last night, Holly. And I know what's going to happen now. Spare me the details and I'll give you and Artemis a lift." His smile was slightly vexed, but it was there.

"Thanks, Butler."

-o-

Police Plaza, Haven, 3 hours later

Since arriving at the fairy fort, Holly and Artemis had felt like criminals. Hustled into a small LEP shuttle with its taciturn pilot, pulled out of the shuttle as soon as it docked, taken with a police escort to Police Plaza, and put in separate interrogation rooms; it was enough to tire out any girl, she thought to herself. Holly hoped that Artemis was alright; she was surprised to find that she missed him.

The door opened behind her; Trouble and Foaly walked into her line of sight. Both were solemn.

"Major Holly Short, eighty-eight years old?"

"Sir." She noticed that Foaly was uncharacteristically silent.

Trouble's tough guy demeanour dropped. "Holly, the cameras and mics are turned off. Why did you do what you did?"

It was a question that Holly knew the answer to. "Trouble – I love him. I have for years, and it was bound to get me some time or other."

Her date didn't look angry; just beaten. He didn't tell her that Artemis had given him an identical answer. "He's a Mud Man. He kidnapped you. He stole fairy technology. Lied to us –"

"And he's saved us, abided by us, sacrificed so much for us. He's not the child he was, Trouble, he's a man – and no ordinary man."

"And what about your jobs, lives? You can't be with him, Holly. And then he'll die, in sixty years or so, and you'll be alone again."

Holly closed her eyes. Trouble's words, spoken without malice, were like gall in her heart. So she played her ace: "His adventures with us have changed him. Both of us. I request for us to be medically and magically examined."

Trouble's face was grim. "I thought you might."

-o-

An hour or so later

"Artemis!" He turned, stooping in the fairy-sized corridor. He smiled as Holly gave him a tight hug.

"They've done your tests, too?"

She was suddenly solemn. "Yes. We're supposed to wait in here for their verdict." And, taking hands, the couple walked into the office on their right.

"D'Arvit! Why do they make them so small?"

-o-

"Well," N°1 handed the findings to Foaly. "This isn't what we expected."

He nodded. "We'd best tell them now."

-o-

Foaly and N°1 were silent as they entered the office. Holly and Artemis were sat on the couch, hands clasped. They studied the centaur's face for a hint, and Artemis tapped the back of Holly's hand twenty times. "Well?"

Foaly decided to get on with it. "You were right; travelling with no experience in two timestreams has, um, scrambled your DNA." The two exchanged nervous glances. "Holly, you have finished mutating physically. But you are almost out of magic. For the past year or so you've been dependent on our demon warlock here and his boosts to uphold your magic levels at average." She gasped; Artemis put his arm around her. N°1 shifted uncomfortably. "You still have the capacity for fairy magic, but you are producing very little of it yourself." She turned her face to Artemis' chest.

Foaly continued: "Artemis, you are also finished; your body will change no more. But you have a surprising amount of unlocked magic in you." Artemis' head snapped up from Holly's. "Unfortunately, it's all being used to give you a fairy lifespan."

"What?"

"It's not enough on its own." Foaly was unsure how to continue. "Artemis; your dabbling with magic has meant that you have directed most of the magic gifted to you by Holly in the timestream on fairy longevity. But if you can get magic from no other source, this will falter in a short number of years, and you will die without it." Foaly could see that Artemis was making the connections.

Holly wasn't too far behind either. "The healing yesterday, from the thieves – extra sparks –"

"Additional magic was transferred?" Holly nodded eagerly. "Yes, that will have gone to upholding his existence. Did this happen at any other time?"

Both looked embarrassed.

"Sparks flew, eh?" mumbled N°1. "Heh heh. Heh." His tail drooped.

"Well anyway," Foaly hurried on, "if you continue to associate with Holly's magic, your lifespan will be the same as hers. You will age and eventually die together."

They nodded slowly. Holly was first to speak. "So as long as I see Arty regularly, and know that magic has transferred, he will live as long as I do?"

Foaly smiled as he confirmed it. "Exactly –"

"Yes!" Artemis shouted with more emotion than Foaly had ever known him to have, and Holly kissed him passionately. After they broke apart, he stuttered "Thank you, Foaly – N°1 –" The Mud Man was actually speechless!

"I'll need another boost, N°1!" was all that they heard from Holly…

-o-

Some days later…

"So," asked Foaly casually, "When do you see lovely Arty again?"

Holly had had the same grin on her face for about 30 hours now, since the genius had left Haven. She didn't even notice his sarcasm, unusually, as she replied, "I'm cleared every Friday or Saturday night, depending when I'm on duty."

He couldn't conceal his smile. "Trouble's alright with it, you know. I think he's always known."

Holly finished the thought. "It's just his pride; beaten by Arty, he'll never live it down…"

Now the centaur couldn't resist. "_Arty?_" he questioned acidly. "Are you going to call him that when you two are on _Canto_? When you battle psycho pixies and overeager Irish biographers? Because you two are a magnet for trouble, and you're getting complacent. Some police officer you are –"

Unfortunately, Foaly had forgotten to take his bracer guns from the Major. "Don't point those at me, Holly – ouch!"

Holly sighed happily. She was doing the job she loved, she was causing Foaly pain, and she had a millennium to spend with Artemis Fowl. Life was better than ever.

-End-

* * *

Well? What's your verdict? Tell me if you like it, hate it, hate me; as long as you review, I don't care! Well, maybe a little bit. ;)

The CD is real, it's the band's beautiful acoustic album. I listen to it on my iPod when I can't sleep. But not because I'm thinking of Holly.

Thanks for reading, reviewing, favouriting, and sticking with the story- if you have. Again, I'm writing this before everything's been published. If you have, yay! And thanks.

If you haven't, fine. Stuff you. I'll just, um, get councilling for my clearly massively inflated ego.

Thanks to big bro again, and to Indica, whose song "In Passing" gave me the kick up the arse I needed to get this story finished. And to you XD

See you around,

**Slania.** (wow, I have gushed. Ah well.)

**PS. Someone who asked about TAC ending in a review (terribly sorry, I've lost your name)**, the last sentence in the book between Holly and Artemis is from Artemis saying, _"I hear you were on a date with Trouble Kelp. Are you two planning on building a bivouac anytime soon?"_ It then goes to a conversation between Butler and Angeline Fowl before the ending. At least in the UK version. And don't ask about the bivouacs. I'm sick of the bivouacs.

Thanks for your question!


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